The Feast of St. George
by Red Star
Summary: On the eve of a massive revolution, Gendo Ikari finally meets his match. (If you think you could do something like this better, check out the challenge on my profile)
1. Default Chapter

THE FEAST OF ST

THE FEAST OF ST. GEORGE

By Red Star

Author's Note: I don't own NGE. And I might as well admit that everything I know about Evangelion I got from the Internet. But I thought I'd send up a trial balloon on writing about it.

_"Do you not know that on St. George's Eve the devil walks on earth?"_

_-**Bram Stoker's Dracula**_

April 23rd was the day on which Gendo Ikari was supposed to have led the world into destruction.

The Human Completion Project, which would evolve humanity and—more importantly—reunite the NERV commander with his beloved wife, was delayed because of four people.

The commander sat quietly as his driver guided the slick car through the streets of Tokyo-3. His hands—as they usually were—were interlocked, with the palms down. His tinted glasses reflected the passing streetlights, and his emotionless eyes twitched slightly at the uninvited glare.

It had happened about a week before. Misato, the alcoholic major and tactical officer whom he had casually forced into the role of caretaker for his miserable excuse for a son and the fiery German girl who could easily have been mistaken for a reincarnation of a _Waffen SS_ commander, had decided it would be "fun" to pick up Gendo's precious clone, Rei Ayanami, and go to the movies. This was fine for Gendo's security directors; all three Children in the same place meant that they would be easier to watch. For a bonus, they could watch and discuss their charges under the joint covers of the darkness and the screen. Gendo was aware that Asuka and Rei were considered the most attractive and sexiest girls in school, and the mysteries of their past and the secrecy surrounding their "jobs" added to their appeal. 

Shinji was a mystery though. Misato constantly passed on notes from people as far up as the school principal, all of them expressing concerns over the boy's well being. The commander of NERV knew that social workers would consider the boy a real find; NERV was steadily eroding the trust that the UN had in it and things would only get worst. If Shinji were found by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Gendo would be accused of negligence. The UN would be free to denounce him as unfit to command a force created to defend humanity and remove and arrest him.

But last week, everything had changed. When Misato passed by an undercover agent, the man reported that her moves seemed automated, and that her eyes revealed some sort of inner struggle. On any other day, Gendo would have dismissed the man as being too dramatic, but the events of the next few hours made him and others the best hope for tracking down the group.

It looked innocent enough: Misato was herding the Children around the theater. Shinji's face became red when Rei grabbed his hand to get his attention over some question she had and Asuka needled him as usual.

Perhaps the agents should have known something was wrong when Misato got herself a Coke to drink in the theater. The Major had always brought some beer hidden in her jacket when she went to the movies.

After the movie's two hours were up, Misato had bundled the Children into her car and driven off.

That's when it happened.

NERV's security branch had planted agents along the route to home to see to it that the ride went smoothly. But when Misato should have made a left she made a right. She went down different streets, with NERV agents hastily stuffed into a car and following them to find out what the hell was going on. Meanwhile, a mysterious fog flooded the city, making Misato's car visible only by her backlights.

Then, she turned them off. 

The car was found abandoned by the warehouse district. An agent by the beach later said he had seen a tilt-rotor aircraft flying out of the city in a northern direction.

He had turned Tokyo-3 upside down looking for the pilots and the major. They were nowhere to be found. When they went to Misato's apartment they found Pen Pen gone, as well as the majority of Asuka, Shinji, and Misato's belongings. The same thing happened at Rei's place. Someone had abducted them, and done the job thoroughly.

Gendo's thoughts then turned toward his purpose tonight. He had received a message from someone asking for a meeting at a building owned by the Draculesti Group.

The note was signed "Vlad", as if Gendo should have known who he was.

Of course he did.

Of all the men on earth, the chairman of SEELE feared only one. No soft man himself, the crippled old fellow was visibly trembling when he described the man who destroyed all who stood in his path. The chairman gave strict orders for Gendo to avoid this man at all costs.

But it appeared that Vlad had decided to make his will known…

The building wasn't extraordinary. It consisted mostly of granite and glass, resembling any other business building. It was tall, of course, but could hardly be declared a skyscraper. His car met a black-clothed guard at the front, who gave instructions to his driver and then waved Gendo's car through. The car drove down a ramp and through a gate into what Gendo surmised was a private entrance for the executives. A tall black man approached the car from a glass door and opened the car door. Dressed completely in dark clothing and wearing dark sunglasses, he seemed to stand at attention as Gendo stepped out and headed for the door.

Within the entryway stood two more men, dressed like the first. These fellows were white though, and appeared to be twins. One of them held out his hand, his fingers motioning toward his palm.

Gendo handed over his gun and asked, "I suppose you all are…"

"Vampires?" asked the one who held his gun and proceeded to unload the stock and hand it over to his brother, who said, "You are right, sir."

The second vampire emptied the stock into his hand, examining the bullets closely as his brother continued, "We have served the Master for two-hundred years, Eric and I. Steven," the black man walked in and took up a position beside the elevator, "has been with us since the American Civil War."

"He was a slave?"

Eric smiled, showing off pearl-white teeth, "One of Evan's girls changed him."

The bullets were reloaded, the stock handed over to Evan who snapped it into the gun and handed it, handle outwards, to Gendo. All this was done fluidly, as if they had been practicing it.

The commander of NERV stuck his gun into his holster as Steven pressed a button and the elevator doors opened.

"The big doors right in front of you, can't miss em'," drawled the black vampire. Gendo walked past the vampire brothers toward the elevator. Suddenly, Steven's left arm shot out and smashed into the commander's face. Gendo fell to the ground, and rubbed his jaw. As he got up, Steven spoke:

"That ain't from the Master. I just heard how you treated your boy."

The big vampire then crossed his arms and glared forward.

Gendo, his jaw aching, then went into the elevator. If nothing, he was a realistic man. He could never hope to beat a vampire on hand-to-hand combat.

Gendo's elevator stopped after a while. The doors opened and he proceeded down a hallway lined by marble toward two big wooden doors.

He opened them and stepped inside. The light from a hanging chandelier was dim. At the far end of the wood-paneled office was a wall covered with monitors that showed scenes around the world. Gendo recognized the UN General Assembly in session, some sort of demonstration in Beijing, and another one in Paris among other images from cities and places around the globe. In the middle of it all were monitors showing Europe, South America, Africa, and East Asia in military fashion. Red colored targeting scopes were moving about apparently randomly over all continents, displaying unidentifiable information over blue symbols that were the shape of planes, tanks, armed men, and ships. In front of the monitors was a large desk and high-backed chair that barely showed the round top of a head.

In front of the desk was a black leather chair that looked like it belonged in a living room rather than in an office. The chair faced a low standing table.

"There are drinks under the table…and ice as well; I heard about your run in with Steven."

Gendo grunted and sat in the chair. The man in the chair was silhouetted against the monitors. The chair turned around and a hand appeared out of the shadows and pressed something on the desk. The lights brightened to reveal a pale man with shockingly black hair and deep blue eyes. His face was handsome, with a beaked nose and cleanly shaven. He wore a black suit with a red tie that was patterned with laurels. His hands were as pale as his face and ended in long fingers with long sharp nails on each one.

Gendo assumed his trademark pose and calmly regarded the man sitting opposite, who put his fingers together in a steeple and regarded him in turn.

"So," Gendo began, "Where are the Children Pilots?" 

"They are quite safe," he replied.

"Of course they are," said Gendo coldly, "Prince Dracula always takes such good care of his prisoners."

Dracula gave a brief smile at the commander of NERV.

"This is not the 1400's, Commander Ikari; there is no need to torture them or treat them barbarically."

Gendo's eyes narrowed, "And I assume they are with you?"

If Dracula was surprised, he did not show it.

"Of course; I thought I should come personally to try and relieve them of their fears."

"Their response?"

Dracula slightly smiled, a gleam of admiration in his eye, "You underestimate your son, Commander: he was the only one not in tears when I arrived at their quarters."

"And that would be?" 

Dracula shook his head and smiled in amusement, "Now, now, Commander; how rude of you to ask me such a question. Do you think of me as vacuous?"

Silence.

"I assume you've seen them recently, then?" Gendo asked.

Dracula nodded, "Ten minutes ago, in fact."

Of course, Gendo knew Dracula wouldn't be stupid enough to keep his charges in Japan. That's why, of course, Dracula was communicating with him by way of hologram. The commander could see the blurs as the hologram's field ended at a certain portion of the area.

"May I ask why you have taken them?"

Dracula nodded, "To stop you."

Gendo smiled, emitting some sinister mojo. 

"Do you really think I would stop the HCP because of those four? You are getting old, Prince Dracula, if you think that SEELE--" 

"SEELE is dead, Commander."

Gendo was silent, but what the vampire had just stated—as casually as if he had said "My hair is black"—shocked him. He did something that was extremely rare for him.

He asked for clarification.

"Excuse me?"

"SEELE is dead, my good man. Assailants who completed the job accurately and thoroughly have shot all of them and then taken their files before help could arrive."

Gendo processed this information. The Lord of Vampires had just informed him that the top-secret committee of men who had the singular ambition of evolving humanity for their own profit was completely destroyed.

Dracula leaned back in his chair and pressed a button on his desk. The monitors behind him switched to a single map of the world, with little red dots spread across the globe with signs that had names written on them.

"All are dead, Commander Ikari. Do not mourn them: they were stupid, selfish creatures."

Gendo glared at the vampire menacingly and snarled, "Why?"

Dracula spread his white hands wide and shrugged.

"What was I to do, Ikari? Those men were plotting to put forward a mad plan to unite all of humanity into some massive sea of souls…_if_ they did it correctly. Half the world is dead. True, that means that there will be more food and land available for the rest but that is not the point. The point is that thanks to your interference and that of your compatriots, billions of people are suffering, crying out for order and help. I can give them both."

Gendo shifted in his chair. This day was just getting worse and worse.

"So…you have taken away my only pilots and murdered my superiors. I suppose I may expect a nuclear bomb to detonate at NERV any moment now."

Dracula suddenly burst into laughter, showing off sharp white teeth.

"Oh, Commander, please! I have no intention of destroying your precious base. No, the MAGI will be of great use to me in the coming years, not to mention the added bonus of your wife's abilities…"

Gendo's eyes widened at that.

"My w-wife? What do you mean?"

"Simple, Commander: I intend to get her out of that machine you made your son pilot."

Gendo gulped and lowered a slightly trembling hand to under the table and pulled out a shot glass and a bottle of whiskey.

"How? What do you know about the Evangelion system?"

"Enough to know that your wife has been screaming herself hoarse either for help or for her son in that thing for years now."

Gendo filled up the glass.

"Why? Why are you telling me all this?"

Dracula leaned forward, his hands clasped together on his blotter. His eyes began to glow red as he stared at Gendo. The Commander was now thoroughly frightened—an emotion he despised.

"For almost two decades now, Mr. Ikari, I have watched mankind tear each other apart to grasp at some bizarre, foolish dream of becoming like God. We could never hope to do that! But yet you went forth with this idiotic project, you brought down those so-called 'Angels' and let them run amok all for this stupid goal!"

Dracula now stood, the red from his eyes flowing outwards fluidly. For the first time, Gendo had a sense of the Prince's full height.

"Never before had I seen this. Deliberate murder on a scale that boggles the mind! If you'd let the whole thing alone we'd never even have _thought_ of angels as anything else rather than divine beings in white robes. This world needs the leaders of yesteryear again to bring it back to civilization and to bring it into the future, to humanity's glorious destiny in this universe!"

"It ends now, Mr. Ikari; the battles, the bloodshed, the tears. It is our time now."

Gendo's eyes went down at his empty glass. 

Dracula glared at him and hissed, "When your wife emerges from the shell of Eva-01, I suggest you find a good divorce lawyer. She saw and heard everything you did to your son."

Gendo then looked up at Dracula, who's eyes were now back to normal. The Commander of NERV knew he was beaten.

"I did it all for her…"

Dracula shook his head in…was that a look of pity?

"You know as well as I do that that is not an excuse."

A red light on a black telephone to Dracula's left began blinking. His eyes glanced toward it momentarily before resting on Gendo again.

"Go home, Mr. Ikari; I have work to do."

Gendo got up slowly as Dracula pressed a button on his desk. The hologram faded away.

The commander stood and walked out.

As his car cruised home, Gendo Ikari stared out at the passing stars overhead, his glasses held in his left hand. As the minutes toward midnight ticked away, Gendo thought over the late events.

Perhaps…perhaps he had taken his son for granted. When he needed a third pilot, he called up his son, deciding that Shinji would do anything for his attention.

And Rei. The clone was like a doll. But no matter what he did, she regarded him coldly as her superior officer. As of late, was there some sort of begrudging in her salutes? His son's coming had changed her…

His eyes snapped wide open. The glasses fell out of his hand. 

That was how it happened. The boy.

Shinji, who could coax dolls to come to life and bear a beautiful smile that her creator could never enjoy.

Shinji, who could charm German tomboys into calming down and letting go.

Shinji, whose mere presence turned alcoholics into mothers and commanders into despised outcasts.

Shinji, who brought out the best in people, even if they didn't realize it yet.

Shinji Ikari, who would be remembered more fondly than Gendo ever could hope to.

The dark car sped through a night that was witnessing great change, it's occupant's head now lowered in wordless sorrow for the past and dread for an unfamiliar future.


	2. Meditations

THE FEAST OF ST. GEORGE-MEDITATIONS

I don't own NGE.

I've seen some of the Evangelion episodes; has my opinion of the characters changed much? Mmmm, not really.

In the next chapters, I'll make sure everyone is in character, so long as I deem it entertaining enough.

FYI: Draculesti Group will be referred to as DG in this story.

DRACULESTI GROUP NORWAY DIVISION RETREAT, NEAR EVJE

Officially, the mountains, rivers, streams and fields within this twenty-square mile property belonged to the world's largest corporation as an executive retreat for the Group's headquarters. The area was known for its relaxing springs and the beautiful surroundings. Draculesti Group workers carved trails into the forests and mountains, where benches were constructed on beautiful lookout points. Restrooms, with working plumbing, were located at various points along the trails. Horses were available for those who wanted to experience the retreat in some Pioneer-like style. The main lodge, hanging out over the valley from the middle of a mountaintop, was connected by another trail to a helicopter pad, where visiting executives could take off in a hurry for a nearby private airfield.

Since Norway only had 1.2 million people that survived the Second Impact, the country was desperate for the resources to save her high standard of living. Draculesti supplied these resources, and as a result practically ruled the country. Government ministers worked on DG computers with DG software on DG-made desks in offices built by DG construction companies on streets paved by DG vehicles manufactured in DG factories.

The Group's monopolistic activities were not limited to the mountainous kingdom. Tokyo-3 owed it's existence to the Draculesti Group. 120,000 DG workers had scooped out the Geofront with some of the largest machinery ever conceived by man. The elevators that brought Tokyo-3's buildings to the surface and back down again were patented by a DG subsidiary. The UN tanks that flooded the city during Angel attacks were built by DG factories, covered with depleted uranium and the strongest steel generated by DG factories. The aircraft that hovered around battlegrounds were designed and produced by the Draculesti Group. The Group built the city's roads, railways, and airports. Since Draculesti Aviation had swallowed Boeing, Rockwell, Cessna, Fokker, and various other prominent aircraft companies, one-third of the planes that flew in and out of the airports were produced by Draculesti and many were even operated by the Group. The gas and oil in the citizenry's cars were extracted from the Earth by DG rigs.

The prosperity of the Group exploded after Second Impact, gobbling up company after company as economies around the world staggered. Economic experts spoke glowingly of its dynamic leadership as the cause.

They were wrong.

Officially, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Draculesti Group was Vladimir Tepevich III, who had taken over from his father, Vladimir Tepevich II. In reality, he was Vlad Dracula, or Vlad IV, Prince of Wallachia. He slipped in and out of assumed names with ease, and got away with it by allowing no photo-shoots. 

Dracula knew the truth behind the Second Impact, and afterwards moved quickly to consolidate his power. He didn't play fair; he used his vampiric powers to scare the Breathing corporate lords into signing onto his own organization. By 2003, Draculesti Goup was a massive giant, making $250 billion a year. Dracula spread his influence across the world, penetrating every government and every army, every major public organization, using the media to his own advantage. In Germany, eight year old Asuka Langely Sohryu was treated to a million-man demonstration marching through Berlin demanding government reform. United States university campuses exploded in rebellion, calling for "Peace with God". In Russia, the people longed for the hand of authority to stop the chaos.

All according to plan…

The "retreat" in Norway served a dual purpose for Dracula: to keep his Breathing minions content, and to give him an excellent headquarters for his greatest move ever.

Hidden beneath trees and rocks were advanced surface-to-air missile systems. Hidden within one mountain was a squadron of the latest stealth plane produced by Dracula's defense industries. If anyone dared enter his airspace intending to fight him a side of the mountain would open up and the aircraft would exit their hanger from there. In another mountain was hidden a unique device that generated an anti-light field to create temporary darkness for an emergency deployment of Dracula's vampire troops.

Within the mountain that the main lodge perched on was a honeycomb of tunnels and rooms. Computers, communications equipment, and two hundred tons of blood were stored in this mountain.

In a wood-paneled office, decorated by paintings depicting battles from years before, _he_ sat, at the desk previously described. The desk held a black blotter; two pens in their holders, pointed towards him; a panel of buttons sat beside the blotter, which he had recently used to talk to Gendo Ikari; a decorative lamp sat beside the panel; and a pewter statue of a dragon curling around the Earth. At his left hand was a modern black telephone, with a red light blinking on it.

Dracula tapped his thumbs together as he regarded the phone, a small smile on his pale face. He loved victory, and this would be his finest yet.

Finally, he reached forward and pressed a switch on the phone.

"This is Dracula,"

There was silence for a while, and then a voice emerged from the speaker.

"Good morning, sir."

He smiled even broader.

"Ah, Major Katsugari. How are my new guests settling in?"

"They're fine," there was some rustling, and the sound of a weak shove, "dammit, not now, Ka…" there was a faint whisper, "all right, _after_ I'm done with this call."

The Major cleared her throat and continued, "We've thought about your offer and…"

Dracula smirked a little at her hesitation.

"…We accept."

"You have made a good decision, my dear. You will not regret it."

"What would you have done if we refused?"

Dracula smirked once again.

"Most likely nothing at all," he replied, "Now, forgive me, Major, but I have some work to do."

He disconnected the call with a push of the button and leaned back in his chair. His left hand reached down and pulled out a drawer filled with files. He pulled one out and leafed through it. When he got to a particular page he traced down the words with one sharp nail until he reached one passage.

"…since these machines are based on the human body with similar joints, connections, DNA, etc, we can assume that the EVA units response to psychic influence would be similar to Breathing subjects. Therefore, the forceful application of a telepathic link would compel the subject 01 to observe and act upon commands given them. Since the unit's acceptance is limited to that of the pilot that has been codenamed 'Third Child', we are forced to rely on the pilot to enable us to control 01. It is my recommendation, sir, that the 'Psychic Enhancer'(described in a separate report sent to you) device be used in this matter, as we should not take any risks in this attempt. The unit has a morbid history of injuring—or absorbing—it's pilots and we have no data on how the unit will react to our attempts to retrieve Subject A. Therefore, first: we must keep the pilot at a safe distance from the unit; and second: restrain the unit as best we can to keep it from going into 'Berserker' mode and then damaging the facility.

"If the difficulties I have mentioned are overcome, our computers have calculated that there is a 79% chance that Subject A can be successfully extracted from unit 01."

Dracula's finger lightly tapped the "79%" as he looked into the room, as if seeing some curious oddity scampering about the office. Finally, he closed the file and tossed it onto the desk. He pressed a button and the monitors behind him sprang to life with the map of the globe, with data pouring in from the roving target points. 

Once upon a time, Dracula and Gendo Ikari might have actually gotten along quite well. Both were ruthless persuers of their goals. Dracula was shoved into the life of a commander at a rather young age. He had lost his own wife; true, the circumstances were different, but Dracula knew that Commander Ikari must have pined for his lost love as the lonely Dracula did. 

There the similarities stopped. The only time that Dracula ever willingly left his son was when the Turks had invaded in force and he knew that the boy would be safer elsewhere. If he could have taken his son, he would have; but it would be a dangerous trip.

It was a good thing that young Vlad hadn't come along; Dracula had no idea how the Crown Prince would react to see his proud father humiliated by that miserable little bastard King Matthias of Hungary. He wallowed in a cell in the King's castle like a common prisoner for years. Dracula emerged from that dungeon with a venomous hatred for the King and his Court. He laughed bitterly when Budapest later fell to the Turks some hundred years later. 

Where Gendo had managed to bottle up his fear and hide it, that particular emotion was alien to the Prince. He had lost his capacity for fear of anything on Earth and below in the Turkish dungeons. He also came out of the Sultan's palace with an annoyance with screaming. He tolerated it only when he deemed it appropriate, like when he sprung his trap on the _boyars_. The traitors learned their rightful place that day! But, unfortunately, knowledge did not seem to stay inside their fat heads for too long.

Where Gendo discarded people easily, Dracula used those methods only on those he disliked or had foolish ambitions. He could not understand why NERV's commander played such ridiculous games in a crisis. 

SEELE repulsed the Lord Impaler. They reminded him of the silly, impotent noblemen who stole from his people before he staked them up on the hills beyond his castle. Dracula took great pleasure in ordering their deaths.

Incompetence riddled NERV, as far as Dracula was concerned. The Evangelions were too weak for the Prince's own tastes. They fought with giant cables coming from their backs, without weaponry that was really effective. Those machines were dangerous themselves, threatening to kill either their pilot or others. To Dracula's cold, intelligent mind, the things were unstable. 

A light _ting_ sound came from within Dracula's jacket. He reached in and pulled out a beautiful pocket watch attached to a gold chain. He looked at the time, placed the watch back, and got up to walk out of his office.

_So many things to fix, so little time…_


	3. Persuasion

THE FEAST OF ST. GEORGE—PERSUASION

Rei was the first to awaken.

She opened her eyes to find herself in the cabin of an unfamiliar aircraft. Looking out a window and regarding the whine of the engines, she judged that the aircraft was of supersonic speed. The size of the cabin indicated that the plane was quite large.

There was a weight on her shoulder. She turned her head to see that their captors had propped up Shinji Ikari so that his head lay on her shoulder. Misato and Asuka were on his other side. The Third Child gave a whispery snore off through his mouth and shifted slightly as a shadow fell over them. She turned to see a tall…creature. That was all she could think of to describe it. The thing was bald and pale, with pointed ears and a hooked nose. The amber eyes were slightly bulging, and had dark circles surrounding them. The creature's hands were long, white, and had long sharp nails on the ends of the fingers.

"You are awake," it hissed.

"Yes," she said, in her usual quiet voice, "Who are you?"

The creature bowed. "Norman, Ms. Ayanami."

"You know my name?"

"I was briefed before I stepped onto this plane. I have been instructed to see to your comfort…and safety."

Movement came from Misato. 

"Mmff…Kaji?" she asked in a dreamy manner.

Norman turned to regard her. When her eyes had opened wide enough to permit her to see his face, they snapped open immediately and her mouth began working noiselessly. Norman watched her impassively. He turned toward a coffee table set up before the couch and then turned back with a bottle and a shot glass, which he held out in an offering manner. Her hands, trembling violently, reached out and grasped the objects, then snapped back to her body, as if she had just taken them from a snake's embrace.

"My Master greets you, and hopes that you are comfortable in his aircraft."

Misato looked around at the elegantly appointed cabin before her eyes rested on Norman again. 

"Master? Who is your Master?"

Norman smiled slightly before replying, "You will see soon enough."

The flight was uneventful. Shinji and Asuka had soon woken up and after the initial shock at Norman's appearance had soon accepted the creature's dutiful hospitality. After Shinji had awakened soon before what would have been dawn back home, Norman vanished through a door, and the foursome was left alone.

"Misato! What the hell is going on!?"

"What are you looking at me for? I don't know him!"

"She's right, Asuka; I don't think any of us know who these people are."

"Butt out, idiot!"

"Hey! I'm just trying to help."

"Ikari-kun is correct."

"Oh, shut up, Doll!"

"Ahem."

They turned their heads to see that Norman had returned with a cart pushed ahead of him. He moved toward them and removed the lid, revealing four plates covered with an assortment of breakfast foods. Eggs, oatmeal, bacon, pancakes, sausage, all were represented on the cart. Accompanying it were three glasses sitting beside a pitcher filled with milk. Another cup sat beside a coffee pot. Norman stepped away, bowed, and said,

"My Master's welcome," Then he turned around and went out the door again, leaving the four to their breakfast.

When they landed, Misato unconsciously reached for her gun, only to find it removed. Norman entered, wearing a large, black sunhat and a large coat.

Catching their stares, he smiled slightly, saying, "The sun…does not agree with me…yet." The last part was under his breath as he conducted them out the door. 

Descending a flight of stairs, they found that dawn was just about to break here in this mountainous place they had arrived at.

Rows of men dressed in black uniforms, sporting black berets, and wielding submachine guns stood alongside a path to a helicopter. They watched the procession coolly as Norman led them to the vehicle. The glasses were too dark to read any emotions, which disturbed Shinji because it reminded him of his father. However, where Gendo's emotionless ness was personally implanted on his face, these men had obviously been trained into it.

As soon as everyone was seated, the helicopter took off and flew in a direction in the west.

The flight lasted about ten minutes. The chopper hovered over and landed upon a pad that had a dirt path leading to a large building that was designed in a cabin-like manner. More black-clothed troopers stood along the path leading up to the house. 

Norman led the small procession, wincing every once in a while, and on one occasion giving a displeased hiss. He looked particularly relieved to see that they had reached the door.

Stepping inside a grand foyer, Norman removed his covering wraps and bowed to the four.

"I fear I must leave you now. I will return tonight."

He then proceeded over to a small door by the grand-staircase, slamming it shut behind him.

Misato immediately whipped around and pulled at the door. Locked.

The rest of the day was spent in a flurry of activity, as the three Children joined the major in looking for a means of escape. They looked out of windows—the ones that weren't locked—that looked upon the steep slope of their mountain. They rummaged through the thousands of books in the library, hoping against hope for a secret passageway. 

It then seemed hilariously futile when Shinji pointed out that there were dozens of guards outside wielding high-powered deadly weapons.

"Well, another fine mess you got us into, Misato!"

Asuka's voice boomed down the halls of the cabin. The four had found their way into a wing of apartments where the major found, to her obvious delight, a small but magnificently loaded wet-bar. Rei went in to explore her appointed quarters, Shinji admired his room (from the door of which was now hung his "Shinji's Lovely Suite" sign in an elegant gold frame), and Asuka—typically—harped on Misato.

"Excuse me? How is this _my_ fault?" shot back the major, who now held a fourteen year-old bottle of Scotch in her hand—minus one-fourth it's original contents.

"_You're_ the one who took us to the friggin' movies!"

"I was?"

"Yes! And then you're the one who took us on that little drive?"

"Wait a sec-…"

"Then you just fell asleep while some goons in black grabbed and chloroformed us!!"

"Uh…"

"GODDAMMIT MISATO STOP STUTTERING LIKE SHINJI ON CRACK AND SAY SOMETHING!!!!!

Misato was silent. Her eyes were firmly planted on the bottle, as if any moment it would come to life and explain everything.

"I…I…d…mber"

Asuka's mouth hung open. "What?"

"I don't remember," answered the Major, "All I can recall is coming home, heading over to the fridge…OHMIGOD—PEN-PEN!" She looked around frantically.

"What about him."

"What happened to him? Where is he?"

"I don't know…"

"FOR GOD'S SAKES, ASUKA, GET SHINJI AND HELP ME FIND PEN-PEN!"

"Wark?"

The two women whipped around to the open door. The penguin peered at them with it's intelligent little green eyes, his wings somewhat outstretched. He appeared somewhat dazed. Moving purposefully, Pen-Pen waddled from his place at the door toward the wet-bar. A wing wrapped around a bottle of beer, which he opened with his beak. The penguin took a deep chug, gave a penguinish grunt toward his roommates, and waddled out the door.

After a moment, Asuka finally said, "What do you mean you don't remember?"

Misato sighed as she collapsed against the massive bed, keeping the scotch upright.

"Like I said, I came home, started going to the fridge…then I woke up on that airplane with that weirdo staring at me."

The major got up and took a swig of scotch.

"What happened?" Asuka asked, intuition telling her that she was not going to like the answer.

"I don't know, Asuka, I just don't know…"

A week passed. The cabin was clouded over by tension. Shinji recognized this and kept away from his German roommate, having had bad experiences in past times when Asuka had gone through her monthly cycles. Rei ignored her, keeping to the library where she had hundreds of books from which to choose to read as she usually did.

Norman popped up every now and then, seeing to their comfort. The creature patiently restocked Misato's wet-bar, produced new clothing from within his mysterious little door, and even cooked dinner.

Sometimes, the captives thought they saw other people in the cabin. Shadows fell over walls and then vanished. Muffled footsteps went down hallways.

Whoever they were, it was most possible that they were the house staff. Full hampers were mysteriously emptied; light bulbs that were malfunctioning were swiftly replaced.

To Asuka's annoyance, Shinji seemed to enjoy this bizarre form of luxury. He had a vacation from cleaning up after his roommates, and exploited it by practicing his cello, reading, watching TV (without having to fight Asuka!) or just plain taking a nap. 

A week had passed, and Norman came.

"It is time to meet my master…"

He escorted them into the library, and left hurriedly shutting the doors behind them.

"Well," said Asuka, beginning to pace like a caged tiger, "Finally we get to meet this bastard. I'm gonna put my foot so far up his ass I'll leave a shoeprint on the left hemisphere of his brain."

"I do not believe that is possible, Pilot Sohryu; your leg is…"

"It's just a saying, Wondergirl! _Gott!_ When we get out of here you need to get a personality beyond 'Worker Ant'."

Shinji was about to speak, to try and defend the albino girl, when Rei stood up and faced Asuka, who was as shocked as Shinji.

"Pilot Sohryu, I have stated time and again that I wish that you would please not call me a doll or…any other thing. It…disturbs me."

Asuka's mouth hung open a little, and then her hand rose.

_WHAP!!!_

Misato gasped as Rei's head snapped aside, showing the red handprint where Asuka's hand had met the girl's face. The red head was trembling with anger.

"I'm not going to take it any longer, you little bitch. You and Shinji the Great have been going behind my back and made yourselves NERV's little darlings for months and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Rei turned her head back and looked into the brimming eyes of the Second Child.

"I didn't lose my mama to this damn war so I can play number two to a pasty faced suck-up,"

A tear fell down Asuka's cheek at that moment.

"_I didn't lose my mommy so you could best me at everything!!!_"

At that moment, the girl's hand sprang toward a beautiful vase standing on a small table. She picked it up and hurled it at Rei. Misato's mouth hung open as the vase flew right past the albino, who had reflexively stepped out of the way.

As soon as the vase had been shattered, Asuka suddenly felt something at the back of her neck. Someone—some_thing_—was watching her. She turned around in her self-righteous manner to gaze upon a tall thin man with black hair and dark clothing. Those cold blue eyes gazed at the German redheaded girl with a mixture of displeasure, amusement, and interest. After a few silent moments, the eyes turned toward the pieces of the vase, which Shinji was stealthily approaching in a move to clean it up.

_Gott, even now a neatnik!_ An annoyed whack sent the young Ikari scuttling back. Asuka then turned back to the stranger, whose red lips displayed an amused smirk.

"Congratulations are in order, _Fraulein _Sohryu," said the stranger, in almost perfect German, with a hint of an accent, "You are the first _Deutsch_ I have seen in years who actually has the courage to take the initiative."

"_Danke_; you must be the _unehelich_ who runs this place, hmmm?"

The man frowned slightly at her language and replied, "Indeed, I am."

Asuka then gave him her sweetest smile and said, "And why exactly are we here, you _mutter_…" And there she stopped, her mouth moving but forming no words. The man had risen his hand toward her and seemed menacingly displeased. She tried to scream, tried to yell, to curse at the man like a one-handed pirate; however, her larynx was paralyzed completely. The man's face took on a stern form.

"I will tolerate bad language or only so long, _fraulein_, and I will not accept any of it directed at me. You will prosper to know this in the future,

"As for the vase, tales of your dwarfed temper has reached my ears; the original was removed, and—thankfully—you have shattered a mere copy."

Asuka's response was a continued attempt at verbal abuse.

"You may speak when you are calm."

That shut her up.

The redhead stepped out of the path of the stranger as he moved forward. He coolly regarded the people before him, bowed, and said, "You are most welcome. May a little of the joy you bring remain here with us."

Misato scoffed boldly and stood. She walked over to the man with anger in her eyes.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?"

The blue eyes twinkled at some private amusement. His lips turned into a slight smile.

"Ah, forgive me. It has been some time since I have been required an introduction.

"I am Dracula."

Misato stood before Dracula, a grim look on her face. Her eyes took on a matter of emotions; fear, hate, despair…

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Okay, I guess the alcohol has messed up her eyes a bit.

The Major laughed loudly and strongly as she held her stomach, as is the proper thing to do when laughing in someone's face. The Children looked at her as if she were out of her mind, while Dracula put on a face of astonished irritation.

"HAHAHAheeheeheeheheheheh…so let me get this straight, _you're_ Count Dracula, the vampire?"

"Correct except for the title, in my homeland I was _voivode_—Prince—and I have seen no reason to renounce that dignity."

"Okay, _Prince_," she said with sarcasm, "If you're Dracula, then what did…Lucy taste like?"

"Vaguely a mixture of Welsh and German, with a little piece of French on the side."

Misato stiffened as Dracula took on a reminiscent look as he said that.

"O-o-o-kay; what did you tell Harker when the wolves howled?"

"That 'Children of the Night' quote and that he had a spider in his hair."

Dracula peered at the major, looking uninterested at her consternation.

"All right," she said, folding her arms, "You're Dracula. Why did you bring us here?"

"To maintain your safety, my dear," said the Prince, his hand rising to gesture around the room, "You and your…charges…are quite safe here,"

"From who?"

Dracula smiled, showing off pearl-white teeth, "Who do you think? Would you not like to sit down, Major Katsuragi?"

At the end of his question Misato found herself sitting on a chair facing the vampire, who smiled graciously. 

"There; is that not more comfortable?"

Dracula's eyes turned back toward Asuka, who was looking down sulkingly like a little girl.

"Now, _fraulein_, are you calm enough to join in a mature discussion?"

Asuka nodded slowly.

"Good," Dracula said. He held up his right hand and shifted it to the right. Asuka's larynx was finally freed up and she took a breath.

"SOB," she muttered under her breath as she walked over by where Rei sat.

Dracula only smirked at her.

"I know that you are…startled by my little revelation. However, I assure you: none of your blood will be tasted or spilled by my followers. I vow this by my father's house."

"In my land, I was prince and ruler. I drove the Turks from my land and impaled those who betrayed my father, as was my right by the customs of my race!"

Dracula turned and approached the painting over the fireplace.

"Aye, I have known since the times of my youth that I remained unbroken in the Sultan's dungeons for a reason. I waged war against those who waged war against my people through taxes and the sword. It was only I that stood between my Wallachia and slavery under the Grand Turk, and for this I am proud!"

He turned around, lightning in his eyes. 

"I shall not bore you with the details of my rising, I shall only tell you what happened to me fifteen years ago."

Shinji looked at the Children beside him and peered at Dracula with more curiosity now then ever.

"It was a normal workday," said Dracula, his face taking on the whimsical look of one who remembers, "I was in my office in London, going about the affairs of my organization—you've heard of the Draculesti Group, I hope?"

Asuka's mouth fell open.

"Y-y-you run Draculesti?! _Mein gott!_ You have your fingers in everything!"

Dracula smiled and crossed his arms fitfully. 

"Yes…but anyway, to my story. I had just finished authorizing a new African subsidiary when I felt the tremor…and the cries."

Dracula held a hand next to his head as he went on, "We of the living dead have… connections to nature, and the psychic forces of the universe. I felt the surge of power as the First Angel destroyed Antarctica, as half of humanity was murdered."

Dracula stood quietly then, his hands grasping and un-grasping, his eyes coming to life with red light.

"I tried to stop it, you know, young ones," he said quietly, "As soon as I learned of SEELE's plans and your father's mission, Miss. Katsuragi, I ordered the team you were traveling with eliminated." He looked at the Major with cold eyes, "Forgive me my dear, but your father was participating in a plot for mass murder. Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."  
 "You would have killed us?" said the Major, "Just like that? No second thoughts?"

"If I may be frank…yes. I ordered a fuel-air explosive dropped on your camp. Unfortunately, the sorties were too late," Dracula paused before mumbling, "The whole effort cost me five good pilots."

"Well, _excuse me_ if you didn't get to kill us in order to save your dead skin,"

"An odd statement considering that if I _were_ successful, billions of lives would have been saved."

The Operations Chief became silent and withdrew a little, letting Rei venture a question.

"Why have you brought us here? What quarrel do you have with NERV?"

Dracula crossed his arms, pausing a moment for thought.

"NERV…" he began, "Is currently being led by foolish men with no interest in actually _saving_ humanity. They have lied to the entire world for over a decade; hidden the truth behind Second Impact; and have sabotaged other projects just so they could retain a monopoly on the machines that could save mankind."

"Hey, hold on," said Misato, leaning forward, "I agree about one thing: Gendo Ikari's a son of a bitch. But as far as I know, Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki hasn't done anything…"

Dracula laughed. The laugh was low and dark, ending with a quiet chuckle.

"Oh _please_, major. Fuyutsuki is almost as _bad_ as Gendo himself. The old gentlemen had known the secret of Second Impact for some time before joining your dubious organization. He let Gendo talk him out of revealing everything to the world."

Misato was silent.

"There is a saying, my dear, 'Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.' The professor has joined in the great lie, preventing justice from being done. Therefore, he is an accomplice and is as deserving of punishment as Commander Ikari."

A quiet voice rose from Shinji, "What happens now? What are you going to do?"

Dracula smiled and rose a hand, one finger coming up.

"First, I shall prove to this poor world that despite your father's and his associate's bungling attempts at megalomania, I am quite capable of setting it right.

Adam and Lillith shall be destroyed; with them having finally experienced the True Death, the world need not fear any more Angel attacks,"

"What?"

"Please, do not interrupt me, young man. To accomplish the great things I am about to do I find myself coming to the rescue of some…prominent individuals. With their aid, I shall justify my new order and bring this world into a new age. Gendo Ikari will see how I have rebuilt the things he has destroyed with his carelessness and idiotic ideals, and the revenge I shall wreak shall be so much more sweet.

"Secondly, the various stratagems that we have formulated shall be put into play, and this world, wounded and sick as it is, will be united under our banners.

I already have destroyed the only group that could possibly stand in my way. Their broken little bodies are spread out across the globe, in offices emptied of all relevant files.

"Thirdly, the united industrial might of this planet shall be put to work to repair as much as possible. Land reclamation shall be one of the main objectives on my program. My organization's researchers are already moving forward in the science of weather manipulation. Within two decades, Antarctica will reappear on the map, albeit somewhat smaller."

Asuka had crossed her arms and stared hostilely at the vampire as he had spoken. She finally asked a question.

"So, where the hell do we fit in? What are you planning to do with us?"

Dracula frowned, " 'Do'? Nothing, my dear; I hope that you may be persuaded to cooperate with my own followers. I have no interest in threatening you or conscripting you by emotional manipulation, unlike your former leader," Dracula then pulled out a pocket-watch, as if he had suddenly remembered an appointment. He looked blankly at the tiny clock, apparently calculating something, and then put his arm down, watch still clutched in his long fingers.

Misato spoke up, a bit of defiance in her tone, "Why should we cooperate with you? What would you do if we refuse?"

Dracula's mouth twitched downward momentarily, "_If_ you choose to _cooperate_, my dear, you would be a key part in the rebuilding of the All-Mother, Earth. My plans will involve your experience, and your help would be greatly appreciated…and greatly rewarded."

"I hope you do agree to remain with us, my young friends," Dracula went on, "I have another appointment in a few moments, so you'll have to excuse me."

Dracula turned and walked toward the mysteriously opening doors.

"In the meantime," he said, walking past two figures who slightly flinched away from him, "I shall leave you to get…reacquainted…" Dracula's voice echoed in the great hall as Kaji Ryouji and Kaworu Nagisa stepped into the room…


End file.
